When it comes to your baby sleeping through the night, your bedtime routine is one of your secret weapons.
A bedtime routine can provide calm and comfort for your baby, develop your baby’s circadian rhythm, and improve their overall sleep quality, which is critical for their overall health and development. A consistent bedtime routine is proven to increase your chances of your baby sleeping longer stretches at night, and even sleeping through the night!
In this article we answer a few questions about the importance of bedtime routines for your baby, including, “How do I set my baby’s bedtime routine?” and “Why does my baby need a bedtime routine?”
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For more guidance and expert advice on your baby’s sleep, and how to establish a sleep nourishing bedtime routine, download the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™ app. This revolutionary baby sleep app features 1-click sleep tracking, a smart sleep schedule, and expert sleep support, and acts as a bedtime routine app that walks you step-by-step how to create your solid bedtime routine and remain consistent.
Why Does My Baby Need a Routine?
Bedtime routines play a crucial role in helping your baby know it’s time to wind down and go to sleep. Reasons why baby’s need a bedtime routine include:
- Bedtime routines calm and soothe your baby, helping their little minds relax before bed.
- The repetitiveness of a bedtime routine helps your baby understand when it’s time for sleep, laying the foundations for a healthy habit that will serve them well for years to come.
- The consistency and predictability of bedtime routines provide security. When a baby or child knows what to expect, they often feel safe. Whether your routine includes a bath, a lullaby, or cuddles, a bedtime routine helps calm your baby and prepare them mentally for the sleep ahead.
Without a bedtime routine or if you miss bedtime routine, your baby may feel uncertain or insecure – feelings that can keep them up at night. You can help your baby feel secure, and sleep better, by including a consistent bedtime routine.
Should I Have a Bedtime Routine for Nap Time?
Yes, you can have a calming, consistent bedtime routine for naps or a nap time routine, though it should be far shorter than your bedtime routine.
If you see your baby’s sleepy cues ahead of nap time and they seem very sleepy, you can skip the routine and put them right in their crib before they fall asleep to prevent overtiredness.
What Makes a Good Bedtime Routine?
A good bedtime routine is simple and short, so that it can be replicated by any caregiver. A successful bedtime routine is also set up to ensure you can jump through the steps quickly if your baby is extra tired (so they don’t fall asleep while you’re holding them).
Here are example steps for a bedtime routine:
- Fresh diaper
- PJs
- Snuggles and a story / song / lullaby
- Goodnight kisses
- Place your baby down in crib calm and sleepy but still awake
Putting your baby in their crib when they are tired but still awake is one of the key ways a bedtime routine gets your baby to sleep through the night. When your baby knows where they fell asleep, they are less likely to cry for you if they wake between sleep cycles.
Safe sleep for baby guidelines say babies younger than 12 months should be put to sleep on their back in a crib free of blankets, toys, and pillows.
Should feeding be part of bedtime routine?
Feeding should not be apart of bedtime routine. You should feed your baby before your bedtime routine begins.
Feeding should not be part of the bedtime routine because you don’t want your baby to associate feeding with sleeping. If your baby associates feeding and sleeping, when they wake between sleep cycles, they will rely on being fed to fall back asleep – even if they aren't hungry. It's recommended you feed your baby in a light room before starting your bedtime routine to avoid creating a feeding association.
Do Bedtime Routines Help Babies Sleep at Night?
A consistent bedtime routine and the right time for bedtime helps babies sleep at night, but it's important to remember that bedtimes and bedtime routines should be flexible.
A flexible bedtime means that you should follow your baby’s wake windows, not follow the clock. For example, instead of always aiming for a 7:30pm bedtime, you can consider how your baby’s naps went and adjust bedtime accordingly. If your baby skipped a nap or had a couple of short naps, they might need an earlier bedtime (say 6:30pm).
It’s also important not to let bedtime get too late, whereby your baby may appear to get a ‘second wind’ when in fact they are ultimately overtired.
If your baby seems tired at a time that's earlier than their usual bedtime, you can speed up their bedtime routine or skip parts of their bedtime routine to ensure they fall asleep at their sleep sweet spot.
Sleep experts recommend you keep bedtime before 8pm and try to follow your baby’s sleepy cues, which is the best way to hit the bedtime sweet spot. If your baby seems extra tired, an earlier bedtime is a great way for them to catch up the restorative sleep they need.
Why Do Bedtime Routines Help Babies Sleep?
Bedtime routines work with your baby’s natural circadian rhythm – their internal clock that tells them when it’s time to sleep. It’s all part of baby sleep science.
By starting your bedtime routine that’s in line with their sleepy cues, you’re aligning your baby’s internal clock, establishing a healthy sleep habit and hitting the bedtime ‘sweet spot’. Ultimately putting your baby to sleep at the right time after their bedtime routine will help your baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
When Should I Start My Babies Bedtime Routine?
Most experts recommend that once your baby is older than 4 months and has a more developed circadian rhythm, you should begin your bedtime between 6pm and 7pm to ensure your baby gets the most restorative sleep possible. However, every child and day may be different. Many babies start to naturally get tired around 6pm and 7pm, but how your baby’s naps or previous night went may affect when to start bedtime routine.
Whenever your baby gets tired or shows sleep cues, start your bedtime routine and make sure they are still awake when you put them in their crib. Use the same sleep cues for nap time, too.
If your baby seems to be fighting bedtime, or is wide awake around bedtime, it could be that you missed the bedtime ‘sweet spot’, they are overtired, or the time between their last nap and bedtime was too short.
For help finding the right sleep schedule and your baby’s bed and wake times, download the Smart Sleep Coach by Pampers™ app to get a personalized sleep plan for your baby. Children and babies who stay up past their wake window can become overtired and have more trouble falling asleep at night than those who follow their personalized sleep schedule via the Smart Sleep Coach app. They may also wake more during the night and struggle to fall back to sleep.
Newborn bedtime routines
Since newborns’ sleep is generally organized around their need to feed, they don’t have a specific bedtime or organized sleep patterns and are often up later than 8pm. This is completely normal and okay.
During the newborn stage, you want to focus on making sure your baby gets all the food they need to grow big and strong. Bedtimes become more important as their circadian rhythm matures at around 4-months-old. That said, you can establish a strong bedtime routine from birth.
How Bedtime Routines Help Parents
Bedtime routines help your baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, providing them with more overall sleep. This means you get more sleep, too!
Bedtime routines are also a nice bonding time after a busy day with your little one.
When Should I Start My Baby’s Bedtime Routine?
Bedtime routines can start on your baby’s first night home. However, newborns won’t have a consistent sleep schedule or consistent sleep patterns until they are around 12 weeks old. Starting a bedtime routine now may make it easier for you both down the road.
Final Thoughts
Maintaining a consistent, age-appropriate bedtime routine is essential for your baby’s development. A bedtime routine can also help your baby fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer at night.
Creating a bedtime routine that’s personalized to your baby can also be an incredibly fulfilling bonding experience – a quiet time you, your baby, and your entire family will look forward to bedtime every night!
Enjoy the snuggles, and the rest, that bedtime routine will bring.
